Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, [and] to serve other gods, whom they knew not, [neither] they, ye, nor your fathers.
Because {H6440} of their wickedness {H7451} which they have committed {H6213} to provoke me to anger {H3707}, in that they went {H3212} to burn incense {H6999}, and to serve {H5647} other {H312} gods {H430}, whom they knew {H3045} not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers {H1}.
It came about because of the wicked things they did to make me angry - sacrificing to and serving other gods, whom they did not know, neither they, nor you nor your ancestors.
because of the evil they have done. They provoked Me to anger by continuing to burn incense and to serve other gods that neither they nor you nor your fathers ever knew.
because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, that they knew not, neither they, nor ye, nor your fathers.
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Deuteronomy 29:26
For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and [whom] he had not given unto them: -
Deuteronomy 32:17
They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new [gods that] came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. -
Deuteronomy 13:6
¶ If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which [is] as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; -
Jeremiah 44:8
In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? -
Nehemiah 9:33
Howbeit thou [art] just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: -
Daniel 9:5
We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: -
Ezekiel 8:17
Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen [this], O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
Context of Jeremiah 44:3
Jeremiah 44:3 is part of a powerful prophetic message delivered by the prophet Jeremiah to the Jewish remnant who had fled to Egypt after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. Specifically, this verse addresses the people dwelling in Pathros (Upper Egypt). Jeremiah reminds them of the devastating judgment that fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, not as a random calamity, but as a direct consequence of their persistent sin, particularly idolatry. The preceding verses (Jeremiah 44:1, Jeremiah 44:2) set the stage, emphasizing the desolation of Judah as a warning against their continued rebellion.
Key Themes and Messages
Linguistic Insights
The phrase "provoke me to anger" translates the Hebrew word ka'as (כעס), which signifies deep displeasure, vexation, and righteous indignation. It's not a fleeting emotion but a settled, just reaction to the people's persistent and deliberate rebellion against His holy character. The emphasis on "other gods, whom they knew not" highlights the foreignness and emptiness of these idols, contrasting them sharply with the personal, revealed God of Israel, Yahweh.
Significance and Application
Jeremiah 44:3 offers timeless lessons for believers today: